While the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project is given ‘prestigious project status’ and is being completed on a war-footing, other projects in the southern districts of the State are stalled for want of funds, exemplifying the government’s neglect and bias against the region, CPI(M) former legislator Julakanti Ranga Reddy said on Tuesday.
The Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) project in Nalgonda and other pending projects in the region are being neglected, he told mediapersons after an interaction with engineers at the SLBC Tunnel-1 work site here. The former MLA was leading a delegation of the party officials along with media persons to the project site.
The site officials made it clear that work had been stopped owing to failure of main bearings of the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) and it required some ₹ 60 crore for the repairs. The proposals were pending with the government.
Of the total 43.93 km Tunnel -1 to be drilled, 19. 314 km has been completed from the outlet side and 13.106 km on the inlet side till date, they said. Tunneling of 4.64 km of the 7.92 km of the Tunnel -2 was completed.
Although the revised deadline for completion of the work was August 31 this year, the delegation opined that it was not possible, “thanks to the government’s negligence and delay”. The main canals work is yet to take off, the left party leaders said.
“If funds are not allotted to complete the project, the CPI (M) will mount pressure on the government by mobilising farmers to stage protests outside the SLBC project,” Mr. Ranga Reddy said.